A number of devices and processes are known for the treatment of water, especially waste water. Processes for the treatment of waste water include a series of filtrations in an attempt to remove those substances that are considered contaminates, such as phosphates that pollute creeks, rivers and oceans when the waste water is discharged. Also, water contaminates, such as certain solids contained therein, can cause diseases to plants, animals and humans to the extent that numerous local and federal government regulations have been enacted as to what substances have to be removed from waste water and used water, or to reduce the concentrations of these substances to certain levels, to minimize pollution, to avoid harmful consequences to the earth and to permit the recirculation or environmental discharge of waste water substantially free of undesired contaminates.
Emulsions and latexes continue to be utilized by industry for textiles, paints, papers, toners, adhesives, synthetic resins, rubbers, or the like. The waste water resulting from these processes usually includes therein substances that if not removed will clog the operating apparatus thereby requiring periodic cleaning. Further, uneconomical large quantities of water or manual scrapping are employed to remove the emulsions and latexes adhering onto or remaining in apparatuses, vessels, pipes, or the like, which are used in the above industries. Additionally, in some situations the emulsion or latex adhering to devices is usually not completely removed by washing with water. In the foregoing emulsion or latex processes, an emulsifier like a surfactant and polymers are dispersed in the form of very fine particles of a size as small as a few microns, therefore, when waste water containing such an emulsion or latex is discharged into the environment without any treatment, serious water pollution problems will occur.
In the preparation of emulsion aggregation toners there can be selected a meter that detects contaminates, such as surfactants, and the concentration thereof, which can cause an increase or decrease in the conductivity of the waste water. Depending, for example, on the conductivity values or by visual inspection it can be determined if the conductivity meter is functioning properly, and whether the member needs to be cleaned to prevent the clogging thereof. This cleaning may require costly disengagement of the meter, followed by the manual removal of the solid material contaminates, or in some instances the water conductivity meter may have to be replaced.
When known inorganic or high polymeric coagulants are added to the waste water in order to remove the dispersed resin constituents some problems arise in the removal operation. For instance, when inorganic coagulants containing aluminum or iron compounds are used, formation of flocks takes place on aluminum ions or iron ions as nuclei. Further, in some situations the cohesive force of the resultant flocks is weak, therefore, separation of the formed flocks may be difficult. The use of known organic coagulants may also be unsatisfactory to sufficiently enable the flocculation of solids. For example, when polymer coagulants, which are oppositely charged relative to the emulsion or latex to be treated, are added to cause decomposition of the emulsion or latex, the resin component may be separated and removed from the waste water. However, since the particles of the emulsion or the latex are stably dispersed in the waste water, the sedimentation of the particles coagulated by the use of known coagulants is slow and it is difficult to achieve sufficient waste water purification in a short processing time.
There is a need for water purification systems, devices and processes that substantially avoid or minimize the disadvantages of a number of known processes.
Also, there is a need for economical processes for the removal of contaminants such as toner particles that deposit on water conductivity meters.
There is also a need for devices and processes where clogging or fouling of conductivity meter terminals or sensors is reduced, minimized, or alleviated, while simultaneously avoiding the costly almost daily manual cleaning thereof, and a need for automated self-cleaning systems to reduce or eliminate the time needed for manual cleaning and to not disrupt the processes involved, such as emulsion aggregation toner processes.
Yet another need resides in providing devices and processes that prevent or minimize the fouling of conductivity meters resulting from emulsion aggregation toner methods and to prevent the buildup of fouling materials in conductivity meters by utilizing a mechanical scrubbing action.
Additionally, there is a need for determining the types and amounts of chemicals required to cause the flocculation of waste water solids, and where these solids stick or adhere to the conductivity meter and clog the terminals thereof.
Moreover, there is a need for systems where a water conductivity meter remains free of clogging contaminants, and where there can be rapidly calculated the amount of chemicals to be added to the waste water to flocculate the solids thereof and other substances.
These and other needs are achievable in embodiments with the devices and cleaning processes disclosed herein.